To the Philippians (Version 0.2)

The Divine Feminine Version (DFV) of the New Testament is made publicly available through the Creative Commons License – Attribution, Noncommercial, Share Alike 3.0 United States. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us for full details.

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Chapter One

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus;
          To all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the guardians and ministers: ²Grace to you and peace from Godde, our Mother, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
          ³I thank my Godde whenever I remember you, ⁴always praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you ⁵because of your partnership in the Good News from the first day until now. ⁶I am confident of this, that she who began a good work in you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, for both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News you are all partners with me in grace. ⁸As Godde is my witness, I long for all of you with the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.
          ⁹I pray that your love may overflow more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is best and may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹being filled with the fruit of justice which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of Godde.
          ¹²Now I want you to know, sisters and brothers, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the Good News; ¹³it has become known to the whole palace guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ ¹⁴and most of the sisters and brothers in the Lord, being confident because of my imprisonment, dare to speak the word of Godde fearlessly.
          ¹⁵Some do preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others also out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so out of love, knowing that I was appointed for the defense of the Good News; ¹⁷the former insincerely preach Christ out of rivalry, thinking to stir up trouble for me in my imprisonment.
          ¹⁸What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice, ¹⁹because I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. ²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will not be ashamed of anything, but with all courage, now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹Because to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²But if I continue living in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; but I don’t know what I will choose. ²³I am torn between the two, wanting to leave and be with Christ, which is far better. ²⁴But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me when I come to you again.
          ²⁷Just let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ so that whether I come to see you or not, I may hear about you that you stand firm in one spirit, in solidarity contending for the faith of the Good News, ²⁸in no way scared by the enemies, which is for them proof of destruction, but to you of deliverance, and that from Godde. ²⁹Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to trust in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰having the same struggle which you saw in me, and now hear is in me.

Chapter Two

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any partnership of the Spirit, any tender mercies and compassion, ²make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united, of one mind; ³doing nothing through rivalry or through pride, but humbly regarding others better than yourselves; ⁴each of you not just looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
          ⁵Have this attitude, which was also in Christ Jesus:

          ⁶who, being in the form of Godde,
                     didn’t consider equality with Godde
                     a thing to be grasped,
          ⁷but emptied herself,
                    taking the form of a bondservant,
                    being made in human likeness.
          ⁸And being found in human form,
                    he humbled himself,
                    becoming obedient to death,
                    even death on a cross.

          ⁹So Godde also highly exalted him,
                    and gave to him the name
                    above every name;
          ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus
                    every knee should bow,
                    of those in heaven, those on earth,
                              and those under the earth,
          ¹¹and that every tongue should confess that
                              Jesus Christ is Lord,
                    to the glory of Godde the Mother.

          ¹²So then, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but now much more while I’m away, work out your own deliverance with fear and trembling, ¹³because it is Godde who works in you both to will and to work for her good pleasure. ¹⁴Do everything without complaining and arguing ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and innocent, children of Godde without blemish among a crooked and stubborn generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶upholding the word of life so that I may have something to boast about in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain or work in vain. ¹⁷But even if I am poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸You also rejoice in the same way, and rejoice with me.
          ¹⁹I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered up too when I know how you are doing; ²⁰because I have no one but him who will truly care about you as I do. ²¹For they all look to their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²²But you know he has proven himself, that as a child serves a father, so he served with me in the Good News. ²³So I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me. ²⁴But I trust in the Lady that I will come soon too. ²⁵I thought I needed to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, your apostle and minister of my need, ²⁶since he longed for all of you and was very anxious, because you had heard that he was sick. ²⁷He really was sick, and nearly died, but Godde had mercy on him. And not just on him, but on me too, so that I might not have sorrow on top of sorrow. ²⁸So I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and so that I may be less sorrowful. ²⁹So welcome him in the Lady with all joy, and honor such people, ³⁰because for the work of Christ he nearly died, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

Chapter Three

Finally, my sisters and brothers, rejoice in the Lady! It’s no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, but it’s safer for you. ²Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evildoers, watch out for the mutilators! ³For we are the circumcision, who worship Godde in the Spirit and boast in Christ Jesus, and who have no confidence in the flesh; ⁴even though I could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks they have reasons to have confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the Torah, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, harassing the community; as for the justice of the Torah, blameless.
          ⁷But those things that were gain to me, I have counted as loss for Christ. ⁸Even more than that, I count all things as loss for the invaluable knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things,  regarding them as nothing more than garbage so that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having my own  justice — that which is of the Torah — but that which is through the trust of Christ, the justice of Godde based on trust. ¹⁰I want to know him, the power of his resurrection, and the partnership of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death — ¹¹if I may somehow arrive at the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained, or have already reached the goal; but I press on so that I may take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
          ¹³Sisters and brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold of it, but this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of Godde in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵So as many of us are mature, let us think this way. If you think otherwise, Godde will reveal that to you too. ¹⁶Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already arrived, let us walk by the same rule.
          ¹⁷Sisters and brothers, join together in following my example and observe those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example; ¹⁸because as I’ve often told you, and now tell you with tears, many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their  end is destruction, their deity is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; they think about earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who will change the body of our humiliation to be like the body of his radiance, according to the working of his power by which he is even able to subject all things to himself.

Chapter Four

So then, my sisters and brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lady, my beloved! ²I urge Euodia and Syntyche to think the same way in the Lady. ³Yes, I beg you also, true Syzygus, help these women, because they worked with me in the Good News, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the book of life.
          ⁴Rejoice in the Lady always! Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to Godde. ⁷And the peace of Godde, which exceeds all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
          ⁸Finally, sisters and brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if there is anything valuable and praiseworthy, think about these things. ⁹Do the things that you learned, received, heard, and saw in me, and the Godde of peace will be with you.
          ¹⁰ I rejoice in the Lady greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. True, you were concerned about me, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, because I have learned to be content in whatever state I am. ¹²I know how to be humbled, and I know how to have more than enough too. In any and all things I have learned the secret of being well-fed and being hungry, both to have more than enough and to be in need. ¹³I can do all things through the one who strengthens me. ¹⁴But it was good of you to become partners in my troubles.
          ¹⁵You Philippians also know that in the beginning of the Good News, when I left Macedonia, no community partnered with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you. ¹⁶Even in Thessalonica you sent me help more than once. ¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. ¹⁸But I have all things and have more than enough. I am filled, having received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to Godde. ¹⁹My Godde will meet all your needs according to her riches in radiance in Christ Jesus. ²⁰Now to our Godde and Mother be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
          ²¹Greet every holy one in Christ Jesus. The sisters and brothers who are with me send their greetings. ²²All the holy ones send their greetings, especially those who are of part of Caesar’s household.
          ²³May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The Divine Feminine Version Study Bible Version 0.3 is made available through the Creative Commons License – Attribution, Noncommercial, No Derivative Works 3.0 United States. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us for full details.

1:1: “Guardians.” Greek, episkopois, often translated “bishops” or “overseers.” “Ministers.” Greek, diakonois, often translated “deacons” or “servants.”

2:7: “But emptied herself.” Jesus is the human male incarnation of Godde’s “Sophia” or Wisdom (cf. Matt. 11:19; 1 Cor. 1:24,30), the personification of the Divine Feminine. Hence our usage of a feminine pronoun for the pre-incarnate Christ and masculine pronouns for the incarnate Christ. Cf. notes on John 1:1 and Col. 1:15.

3:9: “Not having my own justice – that which is of the Torah.” Not “self-righteousness” in general but the particular justice of the Torah (cf. 3:6; cf. E.P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People [Minneapolis: Fortress Press], 1983, pp. 43-45.

3:3: “Ending with the flesh.” Likely a pointed reference to circumcision.

3:19: “Their deity is their belly.” Likely not a reference to gluttony, but rather to Torah-based food laws.

4:3: “True Syzygus.” Syzygus was a Greek male name, and Paul’s address here appears in a list of other named members of the Philippian community, so this translation assumes Paul is referring to an individual.  Its literal meaning is “companion,” so some translations reflect that interpretation instead, i.e., “true (or loyal) companion.”

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